Chapter 28

Sitting at the edge of the staircase, I waited patiently for Jace to come pick me up. At seven o'clock precisely, I saw car lights beaming through the windows. Bouncing up from my seat, I opened the door the second Jace rang the bell. "Hi!" I greeted, a little too excitedly.

I immediately blushed, not expecting myself to sound so enthusiastic. However, truth be told, I was really excited to go to dinner with Jace- this was going to be our first date. I had envisioned this scenario so many times, and it was finally going to happen.

"Hi, princess." Jace grinned, holding out a bouquet of flowers. I took them in my hands, eyes widening at the beautiful array of tulips. "This is kind of cliché, but Reina insisted that I get you flowers."

I couldn't help but smile at such a sweet gesture. I was slightly surprised that Jace would do something as cheesy as getting me flowers, but nevertheless, I was beyond appreciative. "These are so pretty." I beamed, eyeing the beautiful, purple tulip that was already starting to bloom. "Thank you, Jace."

I didn't even have time to process my next action. I stood high on the arch of my heels, balancing on the tips of my toes. Leaning forward, I gently pecked Jace's cheek before lowering myself back down. Warmth immediately rushed to my cheeks at my sudden, bold movement.

Jace seemed shocked initially, but once he realized that I had just kissed him, he smirked. "Princess," he teased, "that was cute."

I cleared my throat, rolling my eyes in attempt to play it off. "Whatever, Jace." I muttered. "So, where are you taking me?"

Jace opened the passenger side of the door for me as I slid inside. Shortly after, he got into the driver's seat and started up the car engine. "Patience, Everly." He joked. "I know you're excited to go on a date with me, but it's a surprise."

I glared at him, sticking my tongue out childishly. "You're a loser." I snapped. "Who said I was excited to go on a date with you?"

Jace kept his eyes on the road, smirking. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he reached his free hand over to cover mine. 'You don't have to say it, love. I just know."

I stared at Jace in silence, admiring his every perfect feature, from the way his eyes illuminated to the way his hair fell gently over his forehead. It was then that I realized just how much I've missed him these past couple of months- how much misery I went through without him being by my side. I missed the comfortable moments of quietness and I missed how we could talk about anything with each other.

I never wanted to lose him again.

*

"Okay, it's official." I stated as Jace and I exited the restaurant. "My new favorite type of food is Thai."

Jace smirked as we made our way towards the parking lot, where his car was. "Really? You liked it that much?"

I nodded happily. "Yes! It was so good, Jace. I'm a bit disappointed that I've never tried Thai tea until tonight." I paused. "How did you even find this place?"

Jace rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as we spotted in front of his car. "Well, truth be told," he paused, "I looked it up on Yelp."

Biting back a laugh, I couldn't help but wonder, why the hell was he so unintentionally adorable?

"Thank you for tonight, Jace." I said genuinely. "Dinner was perfect."

I hadn't even realized how close Jace and I had gotten to one another until I found myself pressed against the hood of his car. His body leaned over mine as he gently placed his hands on both sides of my hips. Jace's eyes scanned my face before a small smile appeared on his. "I've missed you like crazy, princess."

My heart was fluttering once again. How did Jace have so much power over me? Every time he stands close to me, my heart goes in full panic mode. Even after months spent apart, I was still insanely in love with Jace. "Me too." I whispered, accidentally shifting my gaze to his lips.

Closing my eyes, I heard Jace take in a sharp breath of air. "Princess, I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight." He muttered.

When Jace spoke, I could feel just how close his lips were to mine.

As if he had lost total control, Jace pressed his lips against mine, finally kissing me.

I slowly began to kiss him back, allowing for our lips to move in a synchronized pace. Jace's hands held onto my waist tightly, pressing his rigid body against mine. I laced my arms around his neck, savoring every second of his soft lips moving against mine.

Jace pulled apart after what felt like hours of endless kissing. He gently pressed his forehead against mine, a subtle smile lingering across his lips, now red from kissing me so much.

I stared into Jace's glistening eyes and I couldn't help but wonder if he was as breathless as I was. My heart was erratic in its beating, and I felt numb in every place of my body.

"Everly, are you okay?" Jace whispered, questioning my silence.

I smiled reassuringly, nodding. "Y-Yeah," I muttered, "I'm just not used to doing that."

A small smirk graced upon Jace's lips as he raised an eyebrow. "You mean kissing?" I became immensely flustered as a blush snuck its way onto my cheeks. I buried my face into Jace's shoulder as I felt his arms wrapping around my body, pulling me in for a warm embrace. "Don't be embarrassed, princess. You're an amazing kisser."

"R-Really?" I asked hesitantly.

Jace chuckled, nodding. "Yes, beautiful."

I took in a deep breath of air, pulling away from his hold. "You are the first person I've ever kissed." I admitted.

Jace blinked, seemingly alarmed at my confession. "You mean I stole your first kiss when I came to your house a few months ago?"

I nodded, fiddling with my fingers anxiously. Would Jace think of me differently, knowing that he was the first person I've ever had a romantic relationship with? "Yeah, you did."

"I'm sorry, princess." Jace said, genuinely looking guilty. "I didn't know. I wish I hadn't taken your first kiss back then, when you were so pissed at me."

My eyes snapped up. "No! I'm not upset about that." I cleared up, not wanting Jace to feel any sort of guilt for being my first kiss. "It's just- I know you've kissed other girls before. I haven't had much experience so I'm probably not the best kisser you've been-,"

Jace cut me off, leaning in and capturing my lips with his. He pulled away shortly after, just as I was closing my eyes and allowing for myself to sink into his hold. "Don't think that way." Jace warned. "You're by far the best kisser I've been with, Everly. You're insanely kind, beautiful and smart. I never want you to compare yourself to other girls because you're the only one that I want. You're so incredible and unlike any other girl."

I held in my breath as he leaned in, lips brushing against my ear. "You're my princess."

I shivered under Jace's touch as I bit my lip. His words sent chills down my spine and I wanted nothing more than to just tell Jace how in love I was with him.

"Jace," I said softly, "I love you."

That was it.

There was no more living in fear and being scared of what the future held for us. If there was going to be some heartbreak along the way, then fuck it because in this very moment, it was all worth it. The way Jace's words affected me and the way he was looking at me with such affection and love made it all worth it.

I was in love with Jace Wasson, and I just admitted it to him.

"Princess," Jace smiled, his fingers tracing the outline of my jaw, "I love you, too."

*

I hadn't seen Julianne since prom, so she called for me to meet up with her at Ryan's family owned bakery the next morning.

Upon entering, I was immediately greeted with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked cookies. I spotted Ryan behind the display of baked goods, where he was putting in a new batch of red velvet cupcakes. "Hey!" I greeted.

Ryan met my eyes as he grinned cheekily. "Hi Everly! Julianne's over there." He gestured by flicking his chin. "Do you want me to whip you up anything?"

"No thanks." I smiled before I left.

I spotted my blonde best friend at the booth table all the way by the end of the café. I slid into the seat across from her, grinning. "Hey, gorgeous!" I said cheerily.

Julianne stared up from her phone, smiling widely. "Wow, someone's extra happy today." She winked. "Did you get laid?"

I immediately began choking as Julianne's eyes widened alarmingly. "U-Um," she stammered, calling out for Ryan, "babe! Can you please get Everly a glass of water?"

Ryan came dashing towards our table with a glass of water. Julianne took it in her hands and began shoving it down my throat. "Oh my God, I didn't mean to make you choke!" she cried. "Please don't die!"

I gulped down the water, feeling tears sting my eyes. "Jules! What did you say to her?" Ryan asked, staring at me with caution.

Julianne's cheeks turned bright red as she fiddled with her fingers. "I-I just asked if she and Jace had s-,"

"N-No!" I protested. "We did not do anything! Why would you ask something absurd?"

Julianne giggled, biting her lip. "Well, if you haven't noticed, you're kind of glowing." She teased. "And you know what they say about women after they-,"

"Don't finish that sentence." I glared at my best friend as she and Ryan shared amused glances.

Ryan wrapped his arms around Julianne, placing his chin on the top of her head. "Well since Jace and Everly are practically together, we can all finally go on double dates."

Julianne's eyes grew wide with anticipation as she nodded her head rapidly. "Oh my God, yes!" she remarked. "We have so much to do this summer. I already have a bunch of plans in mind for the four of us. I think we should start with a trip to California, where Everly's dad lives."

I was quick to agree to that idea, especially since I've been planning to visit my dad for a longtime coming. I was waiting until my schedule was completely cleared, and summer break couldn't be more of a perfect time to do so. "That's a really great idea." I chimed in. "My dad said last week that I should visit during the summer with my friends."

"This is going to be awesome." Ryan grinned. "I wanted to do something memorable for Jace since he's going away, but this totally beats whatever I had planned."

Julianne frowned at her boyfriend, sarcastically remarking, "Babe, did you even have anything planned?"

Ryan's eyes casted down, shamefully, as he shook his head. "No... But, I was eventually going to think of something!"

"Wait," I interjected, "what do you mean by Jace going away?"

Julianne and Ryan immediately froze, their bodies tensing up. Slowly, their expressions morphed into compassion and pity. Julianne was the first to speak because from the looks of Ryan, he seemed too scared to say a word. "J-Jace hasn't told you yet?" Julianne stuttered.

I frowned, shaking my head. "What hasn't he told me?"

My best friend closed her eyes before leaning over and reaching for my hands. She held them gently, as if she was about to break my heart in a matter of seconds. "Everly," Julianne spoke with sympathy laced in her tone, "Jace is going away for college."

I smiled, feeling automatically relieved. "That's it?" I asked wholeheartedly. "That's great! Where is he going to? He's always told me how he wants to go to Dartmouth or Georgetown."

Julianne's face remained unchanged. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, staring at Ryan before her gaze came back to mine, full of sadness and regret. "He's not staying in the east coast." Julianne said quietly as my heart began to sink. "He's attending UC Berkeley in the fall."

UC Berkeley was across the entire country, thousands of miles away.

My stomach was doing flips as I closed my eyes, covering them with my hands.

Why didn't Jace tell me this?

While he's going to be in college across the continent, I'll still be stuck here without him, finishing my last year of high school. From the previous conversations Jace and I had about college, he's always told me how he wanted to stay in the east coast. So why wouldn't he tell me he's moving away?

"Everly, are you okay?" Julianne asked.

"I'm sure Jace was going to tell you," Ryan paused, "eventually."

I bit the insides of my cheeks, sighing. "Yeah," I muttered sarcastically, "I'm pretty damn sure he was."